United Airlines has just delivered some bad news to its massive workforce of more than 25,000 flight attendants… the demands that their union is making in protracted contract negotiations aren’t realistic and would put the carrier at a “competitive disadvantage.”
The warning came in an internal memo reviewed by PYOK after four days of New Year bargaining in Chicago, which concluded on Friday. The memo could put the airline at loggerheads with the union.
United says union demands would put the airline at a competitive disadvantage
2026 marks the fifth consecutive year that flight attendants at United have been without a pay raise, as protracted talks to agree on an updated contract have so far been unsuccessful.
Last summer, flight attendants rejected a proposed tentative agreement, and now the union is trying to negotiate improvements based on feedback it gathered from its members.
Ahead of this week’s talks, the Association of Flight Attendants said it would be demanding that United make improvements in eight key areas of the contract, such as securing additional pay for flight attendants who have to wait for lengthy periods in airports between flights – what is known as a ‘sit rig.’
Now that the union has formally presented these demands to United, the airline has responded in an internal memo:
“As we’ve shared before, you deserve an industry-leading contract that also keeps our airline competitive. As currently presented, the union’s proposal would put United at a competitive disadvantage compared to other airlines,” the memo warned.
United did, at least, present a counterproposal that would address some of the union’s top demands, but also confirmed that it had “presented options to offset the cost of their new proposals and put us on a path toward a competitive, industry-leading agreement.”
Unions says concessions are a ‘non-starter’
Going into this week’s talks, the union said that any proposed concessions from United were a “non-starter.”
In other words, the union has no intention of entertaining the proposals put forward by United to offset improvements in other areas of the contract.
“One thing we will not be spending time on is management’s ridiculous list of concessions,” the union told its members last week. “We already beat back these proposals once during TA1 [the first tentative agreement] and have no interest in entertaining them during this second round of bargaining.”
One of the most contentious proposals by United is to replace the current scheduling system that flight attendants use with what is known as a ‘Preferential Bidding System,’ in which computer algorithms help decide what trips and days off flight attendants are assigned.
The union has long been opposed to the introduction of PBS, arguing that the system is opaque and makes it hard to evaluate whether schedules are being assigned in line with the flight attendant contract.
Counter proposal is now with union but talks have to wait until February
The AFA is yet to update its members on what it thinks of United’s counterproposals, although the union will have some time to mull over the details.
Following the conclusion of this week’s talks, the two sides aren’t expected to take part in federally mediated bargaining until mid-February. Further talks are also already scheduled in March.
Another potential flashpoint between the two sides is a proposal to reduce United’s reserve monthly guarantee for flight attendants, which is essentially a guarantee to pay flight attendants on reserve for a minimum number of hours, even if they aren’t used.
United currently offers a reserve monthly guarantee of 78 hours, but has proposed reducing this to 75 hours. The airline says this would allow it to reduce the amount of time that flight attendants spend on standby to 12 hours at a time and align the contract with peers like American Airlines.
United responds to union demand for immediate pay raises
Interestingly, ahead of this week’s bargaining sessions, the union had called on United to offer immediate pay raises to flight attendants, given how long they have gone without an increase in their wages, despite the rising cost of living.
The airline has now responded, although it doesn’t sound like United is willing to offer a pay raise outside of a full contract agreement.
The memo sent to staffers on Friday explained: “We are keeping steady progress and working collaboratively toward an agreement that reflects your work and supports our long-term success.”
“As part of your new contract, we are focused on getting you the raises you deserve as soon as possible. You’ve waited too long. The TA1 wage structure would have provided United flight attendants with industry-leading pay among unionized U.S. carriers for the duration of the agreement.”
What yearly raises look like at United.
Scott Kirby (CEO) Compensation:
• 2022: Around $9.8 million (pre-CARES Act removal).
• 2023: Nearly $18.6 million (as restrictions lifted).
• 2024: Approximately $33.9 – $34 million (first full year without limits
United’s C-suite, led by CEO Scott Kirby, experienced substantial salary growth from 2022-2024, with total compensation packages rising dramatically as regulatory caps were lifted, making 2024 a peak year for executive earnings at the airline
Comments about how much CEO’s make are really boring and really silly. Comparing the responsibility of a CEO with that of a flight attendant, or any other individual worker is utter nonsense. Outside of jobs in IT, law, or finance, no UA employees even have to have a college degree anymore, not even pilots (It turns out to require a college degree to be a pilot is racist.).
Moreover, virtually Kirby’s, or any other CEO of a publicly traded company’s CEO’s. compensation is almost all stock, with the awards generally vested over time based on the stock’s performance.
It would be utterly and totally idiotic for someone to take that kind of money in salary as almost all of that would be taxed at about 37% at one time, while taking in stock would allow for a tax rate closer to 24% as a long term capital gain when the employee sells it…assuming there IS a capital gain.
Really? Many of us do have college degrees, some have two or three, as I do, So, unless you have something constructive to say and you get your facts right, shut your mouth.
Anyone in favor of the lowest paid employee cannot make less than “x”% of the highest paid employee.?
This includes stocks, bonuses, incentive etc.
Cabin crew historically are impoverished and qualify for government assistance. Those of us that don’t apply for it, like myself, lived off leftover airplane food and a second job.
For those that cannot wait to belittle the position by asserting “why work the job if it pays so little?”
Someone has to be the last off the plane when it goes down and pilots sure as Fk aren’t going to do that.
You can choke out or burn if that’s the angle you want. Believe me, if the FAA didn’t mandate 1 crew per 50 passengers, you might end up with 1 per 100 or more.
then you’ll complain about service taking too long or not get anything at all. Hell, maybe just galleys with vending machines on all flights and 1 FA to stock it.
Why should you get paid based on what someone else gets paid? What does the value of what that person brings to the company have to do with what another person brings to the company?
It’s not like you were drafted into the job. You know exactly what the terms and conditions are before you start and if you don’t, it’s only because you didn’t bother to read the contract first.
You also know that if you stay with the company, you’ll be amply rewarded for your loyalty and experience for a job that has no requirement for higher education nor relevant experience when you get hired.
What does any of that mean? Why so much emphasis on the college degree tied to work they are doing — I do not get it? I have a masters degree — but I would never comment about what a fair salary is for someone and then reference without a college degree (who cares)? That degree should not be a factor in what that specific job should pay or the fact that they have not received a salary increase in 5-years and they can’t strike.
Quit with the Big Bag Business stuff.
Absolutely, the flight attendants haven’t had a raise in 5 years. And why is that? The contract became amendable in 2019 and the company would have been delighted to sign a new contract in 2020, as they were getting federal grants and loans to keep people on the payroll. United would have much preferred to sign a contract back then when the union would have signed anything to not have permanent layoffs.
Since then, the union has rejected two offers and has demanded an “industry leading contract”, even though they are the last of the peer unions to settle their contract and are actually “trailing”, not leading, so they would saddle UA with uncompetitive costs for at least another 4 years.
But the annoying thing about the implication of the headline is that it implies the union is missing out on pay back to 2019. That is nonsense. The company has already agreed to back pay and has put nearly a billion dollars away for that.
I hate to tell ya, but the overall quality of people hired as flight attendants ain’t what it used to be. The union wants more money coming to flight attendants earlier in their careers. That isn’t going to happen. Being hired as a flight attendant at UA, DL, etc. isn’t perceived as the “last job” like it used to be and United sees no reason to pile on the costs to people who have no intention of sticking around.
I would tend the disagree with you. In a position where everyone is doing the same job there should not be that large a gap in pay between someone new and someone there for 10-12 years. A difference, yes, but not one so significant. They should start at a salary which is reasonable for the work, the hours, the time away from home, the variability (e.g. they can’t leave when their shift is over it could extend quote a bit). Add to this they do not have set schedules, etc. They are paying new flight attendants far too little.